The Athletic’s Carl Anka has listed the things Southampton must do in order to keep Pierre-Emile Højbjerg.
The Denmark international will be out of contract at St Mary’s in the summer of 2021, and Ralph Hasenhuttl has already stated that discussions over new deals for himself or any of his players will not be taking place until the Saints reach 36 points – they are currently on 31.
Incidentally, Højbjerg is the subject of interest from Tottenham, Everton and Arsenal, with the north Londoners believed to be targeting him for the summer window – the former Bayern Munich man’s future certainly seems unclear as things stand.
What did he say?
When asked by us in a Q&A session on Friday afternoon if European qualification would impact contract talks with the Dane in any way, shape or form, Anka replied: “I don’t think it has to be that high.
“My pitch to PEH to sign a two year contract extension would be: We’re not going to battle relegation any more, Hasenhuttl is staying until [INSERT YEAR] and we’re building a squad to reflect his needs. Spurs are a shambles under Jose, and if they’re not, you should wait another year to see if they fix it, and do you really trust Everton to not Everton it up? Stay here champ”
Much more attractive than they were
If Højbjerg would’ve had to make a decision back in October after that 9-0 defeat, then presumably, the answer probably wouldn’t have been music to Southampton’s ears given the state the club were in.
However, five wins and a draw from their last eight Premier League outings have left the Saints just six points off fifth-placed Tottenham, with the 24-year-old proudly wearing the captain’s armband at what is now looking like an effective, dangerous top-flight outfit.
It is credit to Hasenhuttl and Højbjerg’s teammates that they have managed to pull themselves from the mud so impressively, and crucially, be able to present the midfielder with a more attractive home when all parties do eventually come to sit at the negotiating table.
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While Southampton are now significantly more attractive than they were, it remains to be seen what happens.
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